I remember the days when I'd have dashed to the blog to announce my homecoming within hours of stepping inside my own front door. Nowadays, I figure anyone who cares where I am probably already knows. (Nowadays I figure not that many people actually care.)

Still. I'm making the formal announcement now. I'm home from the wilds of Missouri.

The business part of the trip went just fine. I don't think I picked up any C&W cooties from being in Branson and the dreaded two-lane, bumper-to-bumper highway traffic has been replaced by an expansive, divided 4-lane highway that I cruised smoothly down in record time.

The Familial Visit also went well. Had a chance to visit with my mother and spend a little time with most of her siblings.

Saturday I spent with her and my siblings (and their ramifications). My brother (and his wife) came down for a couple of hours on Saturday. I saw him about a year-and-a-half ago but I haven't seen her in many years.

My Lives-in-Kansas-Sister came down with her two girls, both of whom are astonishingly beautiful, well-behaved, and intelligent. I don't know where they get it from, the four of us were all Wild Kids, but my L-i-K-S is raising amazingly civilized and loveable girls. One assumes she began by deciding they wouldn't be allowed to act the way she did when she was young. (Joking. Mostly.)

I'm happy to report that the I.C. and my frequent hot flashes provided amusement for all during the course of the weekend. (Family can be such a mixed blessing.)

Of course, my mother's generation all went through it years ago, so my experience inspired them to sharing stories of their own travails. My L-i-K-S has yet to embark on this latest adventure and had little to contribute. Her oldest, Rapunzel (so-named for her beautiful hair and even more beautiful disposition) was also restrained.

On the other hand, her sister, Pippi Longstocking (so named for her infectious charm and winning smile), found the entire thing absolutely hysterically funny. Every time I broke into a sweat, Pippi broke into a cascade of giggles. It was worth having hot flashes to hear her laugh.

It was a short visit but for some inexplicable reason, I came home exhausted. No doubt it has something to do with the I.C. (I plan to start blaming it for everything from now on. Things I should do and don't. Calls I should make, but forget. Floors I should mop but ignore.) I arrived home Sunday, unpacked, sat down to read and relax for a while, and nearly fell asleep twice. Hence the lack of blogging.

While I had a good time visiting, there's really no substitute for the comfort of your own home, is there?

Yesterday evening I undertook the mammoth task of fighting my way through to the goblin castle to rescue...I mean contacting tech support for my new router to get it and the adaptor up and running. After two hours on-line and two hours on the phone, my new hero, Fred, managed to get all the parts and pieces working and communicating.

But here I am, today! Blogging!

Sadly, I have nothing to say.